But I still want to understand what Figure 4 is telling me. Doesn't it indicate a sudden increase in reverse current at approximately 125% of Vrrm, and isn't that what breakdown voltage is? Or am I misunderstanding something?

But I still want to understand what Figure 4 is telling me. Doesn't it indicate a sudden increase in reverse current at approximately 125% of Vrrm, and isn't that what breakdown voltage is? Or am I misunderstanding something?

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Yes, that increase in current shown is the start of the avalanche breakdown. But there likely is a significant unit-to-unit difference in that voltage between different production diodes.